A Father's Story
by TheTiny
Summary: Inspired by Una1's Bardock Chronicles. The story of the father of the most powerful Saiyajin in the race's history, Bardock, and the struggles he went through in his life. Starting with his birth as the lowclass son of a high ranking general and leading
1. Characters

_**A Father's Story: Main Cast**_

**_Bardock:_** The main focus of the story and the father of Dragonball's hero, Son Goku, Bardock is born into a high class family, thus is considered a disgrace to his entire bloodline due to his third class status. He strives for his whole life to one day prove that he is somebody, despite his birth as a low-class warrior, and along the way will meet the friends who mean the most to him in the whole world. Bardock is a newborn at the start of the story.

_**Kale:** _Bardock's mentor and the captain of the team Bardock is assigned to after he gets out of the Academy, Kale is very powerful for what is considered a low-class soldier, besting a few of the King's elites! He once served under Bardock's father as a lieutenant and later got promoted, so he knows how proud the general was and just why Bardock resents him so. Kale is 18 zurals old when we first see him.

**_Toma:_** One of the more powerful low-level fighters at the Academy and one of the friendliest to newbies, Toma and Bardock form a fast friendship when Bardock stands up for a girl named Zana. The two go through many travels together and even train together for their first tournament a few years into their Academy schooling, without the knowledge of their headmaster. Toma is 7 zurals old when we first see him.

**_Celipa:_** A weaker female fighter, barely ranking as a third-class warrior by her birth power level, Celipa is a young warrior that hails from the northern part of Vegetasei, giving her a darker skin tone than her allies. Celipa first meets Bardock in his second year at the Academy when she is transferred there by her father, who sends her there after she got kicked out of her previous institute. Celipa is 7 zurals old when we first see her.

**_Panboukin:_** A somewhat portly boy from a clan of third-class warriors, Panboukin is actually the strongest to ever be born into his family and as such he is the only member of Bardock's future crew who isn't shunned by his relatives. Panboukin is much slower than most other members of his race due to his large size, but makes up for it with a fighting prowess and strategic genius rarely seen in Saiya-jin. Panboukin is older than his three friends, at 8 zurals old when we first meet him.

**_Totepo:_** A member of Kale's crew when Bardock and his friends are first recruited, the only surviving member after their last mission, Totepo is a silent man by nature and tends to keep to himself. He is much older than any of the others, having lived through the war between Saiya-jin and Tsufuru-jin decades before, and as such they often turn to him for advice and stories of their race's history. Totepo is 24 zurals old when we first meet him, one of the oldest living Saiya-jin in the story.

**_Zana:_** A girl that Bardock defended from older boys in his first year at the Academy, and who he wouldn't meet again until many years later, Zana is a second-class Saiya-jin and as such is slated to be a member of the King's Guard. That all changes when she meets up with a certain bed-headed Saiya-jin again later on in life, however, as the two get caught up in something that will have consequences for both. Zana is 7 zurals old when we first see her.

**_Perejil:_** Bardock's ultimate rival throughout his life and the one who pushes him to always get stronger, Perejil is a first-class Saiya-jin boy who attends the Academy under the impression he'll become a great general one day. He is the same boy that Bardock fought with to protect Zana at the Academy and fought many times afterwards, each pushing the other to improve more and more. Perejil is 8 zurals old when we first see him.

_- A zural, or Saiya-jin year, is the equivalent of two Earth years._


	2. prologue

"_A Father's Story"_

_Prologue_

_By- Tiny_

General Raditz marched through the halls of the medical ward as he made his way towards his mate's room, his oldest son not far behind in the first-class armor that he had been presented with. The general's oldest son had been born with a power level ranking him as a first-class warrior, recently graduating from the Academy on Vegetasei with a power level over one thousand! For someone who was only fifteen that was quite an accomplishment, and with a mate who ranked as an elite, Raditz was confident that he was about to have another elite-ranking child.

He arrived in the admitting ward a few moments later, his mate, Kinoko, standing over a small crib where the cries of an infant could be heard, piercing the ears of a general who had heard many a battle cry. His older son, Zorn, looked ready to blast the infant to pieces any moment, but was restrained by his father as the proud general looked down on the baby. It was a boy, his hair standing out in thick spikes that looked like a bad case of bed-head, which he had clearly inherited from his mother's side of the family, as Raditz himself had incredibly long hair.

The medics were hardly paying attention to the high ranking officer and his family as they rushed all over the place, tending to other Saiya-jin infants that had also been born on that day. Out of the nearly twelve infants in the ward, only three were female, as had been the case ever since the conflict with the Tsufuru-jin race ended a few years earlier, only after half the Saiya-jin's females had been killed. That was saying something too, seeing as the females had been scarce even before the war had erupted, so now they were downright uncommon.

"The boy looks like a miniature version of your father, woman," Raditz snorted, his eyes narrowed, "Did you manage to get a reading on his power level?"

"Of course, the doctors got that just after he was born," Kinoko grumbled, "The boy is being taken away soon to be sent on a mission, I thought maybe we should at least look at him before he dies."

"Dies?" the general cocked an eyebrow, "My son? If he's anything like Zorn here, then he shouldn't have any..."

"The brat was born with a power level of five Raditz, he's been ranked as a third-class fighter!" Kinoko interrupted her mate, "Two elite ranked Saiya-jin and their second child is a third-class loser! I don't WANT him to come back!"

Raditz looked almost taken aback by his mate's words, though more because of the news of his son's power reading rather than Kinoko's lack of motherly concern, as she had never been very affectionate. Zorn had been born with a power level of 87, ranking him as elite from birth, and they had all expected that another powerful, first-class son to be born this time. To have a son born third-class, with a power reading that barely registered on the scale, was a disgrace to the rest of the family and Raditz could certainly understand his mate's sentiment.

A doctor came in a few minutes after the father had arrived, picking up the small, crying child and taking him to be sent off-planet for his first mission, Zorn poking the child relentlessly. Kinoko didn't seem to mind too much that her son was being taken away to go to a hostile world, though part of her wanted to hold him at least once, her eyes facing the wall behind the doctor. Raditz, on the other hand, clearly did not want to be around the disgrace any longer and stormed for the doorway, his hair waving behind him as he turned his back on the crying bundle.

"General, don't you at least want to hold your son at least once?" the young doctor, a man named Plenthor, asked, "He has quite a fighting spirit!"

"Doesn't matter, he won't survive his mission and I am not going to waste my valuable time on his filthy, low-class hide!" the general snapped, "In my opinion, good riddance to bad rubbish..."

Zorn did not want to watch his little brother being sent off, disgusted at being related to such a weakling and followed his father out into the hall, his short spikes of hair bristling slightly as he left. Kinoko watched for a few moments as they walked out with her son, about to send him away to a world far from home and away from the rest of his race for years. She felt something inside her click once she laid eyes on her son once more, the coldness she had felt originally melting once she looked into those big black eyes, and she actually smiled softly as he cooed towards her.

_"Good-bye, my Bardock,"_ she sniffled, walking away, _"May the gods watch over you..."_

_**Author's Notes:** This story is meant to tell the story of Goku's father as he grows up and faces challenges of his own in a world so much darker than the one his youngest son grew up in. As you can tell, I decided that the name for Bardock's oldest son should come from some member of his family, so I gave the name Raditz to our illustrious hero's own father._

_The first chapter will flash-forward twelve years into the future when Bardock returns from his first mission and meets his family in the flesh for the first time since he was born. The homecoming will not be pleasant for the young Saiya-jin, as his father and older brother despise him, but his mother, who hated Zorn, has developed some sort of compassion for her youngest son. That's all your getting for now, so stay tuned to see what's going on! Until then!_


	3. Family Reunion

"_A Father's Story"_

_Chapter 1- "Family Reunion"_

_By- Tiny_

The space port on Vegetasei was a bustling center of activity at all times of the day, what with all the off-planet fighters coming in for their next missions and people being sent out later on, and this day was no exception. A squadron of elites had just come back from a purging mission on a planet that was now home to a colony of wandering insectoid aliens, which had decided to call the planet Arliasei. The moving of the population had brought a great reward for the squad involved in the planet clearing, and they were in the bar nearby drinking it up as another pod crashed into the port.

The pod was clearly a much older model, nearly falling apart just from the force of impact even with the soft landing surface, probably that of a Saiya-jin child that had been sent out six zurals earlier. It was covered in mud and what appeared to be vines of some kind, though how they had stayed attached during a long space flight was a mystery, and the life-support system was failing even as the door was kicked away. One of the attendants who had been sent over to retrieve whoever was inside nearly jumped out of his skin when the door flew at him, gulping nervously as a soft laugh came from inside.

There was a small boy inside the pod, no older than six or seven zurals judging solely from his size, his hair a messy bunch of locks that resembled the way most people look when they step out of bed in the morning. He was covered in much the same kind of mud that his pod was, his body covered only by what little remained of the bodysuit that had been sent out with him, and he stunk horribly. The people around the boy didn't know whether or not to bow to him and ask for his name or to hose him down first, deciding on the prior as their scouters started to go off.

"Welcome back to Vegetasei, young warrior," one of the attendants, a blue-skinned alien bowed, "May I ask, what is your name and to which of the houses do you belong?"

"According to that piece of junk pod, my name is Bardock and my father is the Saiya-jin war general Raditz," the boy answered gruffly, "Why is it that he is not here to retrieve me himself?"

"Well...the general is a very busy man, young sir, and cannot be bothered to come to the space port often," the attendant answered, "But before we take you to him, might we recommend that you spend a cycle in the rejuvenation tank and, for the god's sakes, clean yourself up a little bit?"

The blue-skinned alien didn't know what hit him as a blast of yellow energy went straight through his head, spilling his green blood all over the dock's floor as Bardock kicked the corpse out of his way. The other's that were standing around him seemed stunned at just how violent the boy was, especially at such a young age, and were keeping their distance from the small child lest they become his next target. One green one was not so lucky as Bardock walked right up to him, his small eyes narrow and nose crinkled up slightly, a small smirk on his lips as he began to speak.

"Take me to the medical ward so that I can clean myself up before going to meet with my parents," Bardock chuckled, "NOW!"

"Yes sir, right away sir!" the alien gulped, "Umm...sir? Just out of curiosity, why did you kill our fellow worker over there?"

"Because he got on my nerves," Bardock huffed, his tail swishing behind him, "Pray that you aren't next..."

Zorn did not understand why he was called to the medical wing just before his audience with the king, the discussion of his being given a squadron of his own being the night's topic of choice. His father had worked long and hard to get the now mature warrior a meeting with the powerful King of Vegetasei only to have the young man summoned to the medical ward near the docks immediately. The younger fighter's initial thought was that his father may have been injured in his latest mission , but that didn't seem to be the case as Zorn arrived in the room.

Raditz was there, in his best formal armor that he had put on to wear to Zorn's audience with the king, and the boy's mother was also in the room, begrudgingly wearing the formal gown her mate had purchased. Zorn wasn't sure why his mother hated dressing up so much, though he presumed it had to do with the fact she was from the southern tribes and they didn't like formalities. Still, the reason for their being called down to the medical ward become shockingly clear as he walked up in between his parents, taking a look down at the floor and spotting someone he had hoped never to see again.

When they had shipped Bardock out zurals ago, he had never expected to come into contact with the savage looking little boy again, and yet there he was, his eyes narrowed just as Zorn's were as they sized each other up. Bardock certainly didn't look as he had upon his arrival on the planet, his wounds now fully healed and unnoticeable, his black locks of hair somewhat glossy from where they had been cleaned. He was not wearing a formal suit of armor, seeing as he had just returned from his mission, clad instead in a suit of black and green armor and a pair of dark, form-fitting pants.

"You...you called me down here for HIM!" Zorn snapped at his parents, his ki swelling, "That brat is hardly worth the spit that I swap with my soon-to-be mate, much less keeping me from my audience with the king!"

"Swapping spit sounds disgusting," Bardock chuckled, folding his arms over his small chest, "You should find a new hobby, big brother."

"You stay out of this, brat!" Raditz snarled, "Like it or not Zorn, this low-class trash is our responsibility and it is our...duty to take him in. Your mother has agreed to take him back to our home for tonight while we attend your audience. I'm sure the king will understand."

"Very well...I hope you rot for this, whelp," Zorn snarled, his anger hard to keep under control, "Let's go, I don't want to be thought of as associating with low-class garbage like HIM!"

"Perfectly understandable," Raditz scoffed, "The king is waiting..."

Bardock watched with an expressionless face as his father and brother left the room, not really caring if they left him, seeing as they were both elites and had duties to attend to elsewhere on the planet. He may have only been a child but he understood the social system of his planet well enough, having been taught it by his pod while he was away and learning of all the prejudices that that social system entailed. Bardock was ranked as third-class, a 'low-level' soldier, and the only things that ranked below low-levels were half-breed's and disgraced Saiya-jin.

He could see his mother changing out of her formal gown and back into her regular armor, seemingly relieved that she didn't have to go to the audience with the king, and Bardock could actually sense the emotions running through her. A handy little trick he had picked up before destroying the small population of the planet he was sent to was the ability to read emotions through sensing a user's ki. It made his scouter useless for anything except getting a read on power levels, but he didn't want anyone to be made aware of his ability, so he wore the accursed thing anyway.

"You've just saved me from subjecting myself to the most humiliating circumstance of my life, my son," Kinoko smiled, a genuine smile, "In the king's court, women are not warriors, just trophy's on the arms of the men they're mated to, and such humiliation is intolerable."

"You will actually call me son, not brat?" Bardock asked, confused, "I thought it was Saiya-jin custom to not show affection to children, especially not those of a class lower than your own."

"It has not always been that way, only since the ejection of the Tsufuru-jin have our ideals been that way," Kinoko chuckled, "I heard what you did to that attendant when you arrived and, quite frankly, I am disappointed. You had no reason to kill him, he was only trying to help you."

"He was a weakling, Saiya-jin conquer the weak," Bardock prattled out, "It is the way of our people and the only way a third-class survives; by destroying those weaker than themselves."

"My grandfather, your namesake, was born a third-class warrior, yet he did not kill unless absolutely necessary, even if it meant he was reprimanded," Kinoko snorted, standing over her son, "Before he was killed on his final mission, he had risen to the rank of our village's chieftan, a position held now only by elite warriors, so let that be a lesson to you in the days to come."

"All that means is that they screwed up on his read as a child, that's all," Bardock snorted, "No low-level could possibly become a chieftan, much less be in the same league as elite warriors."

"One thing you are going to learn now that you are home, my son, is that anything is possible, no matter how you were born," Kinoko smiled, kneeling to his height, "You have a warrior's spirit, have since you came into this world, and that will make you stronger than anyone ever dreamed of one day."

In that moment something within the young Saiya-jin crumbled, the walls he had built up around his emotions crumbling down as he felt his mother's arms encircle his small form and embrace him warmly. He regretted killing the attendant from earlier, though he knew he could not change that now, but vowed at that moment that he would no longer kill unless it was a necessity. He was going to prove to everyone that he was not just another low-class solider, that he would not be looked down on as some lower life-form, but would one day excel on the battlefield, as his ancestor's had long ago.

"Come now, my son, let's go home," Kinoko signaled, taking off into the air, "I hope you can keep up!"

"I accept that challenge!" Bardock smirked, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"

Zorn did not like riding in the ships that were required on formal occasions, much preferring the wind in his face and through his hair as he flew, but did not say anything as they arrived at the central palace. The king's home was located in the capital city of the planet, in the precise center of their planet's many tribes and villages, a majestic center of culture and home to the planet's finest warriors. Zorn himself would love to live in the capital city with those other fighters, but his father hated cities and opted to live in the southern regions of his mate's forefathers, where things were much harsher.

As he waited to land, the young Saiya-jin's thoughts almost immediately went back to his little brother, wondering how the small boy had managed to even survive his mission with a power level barely ranking him as a third-class. He knew that the inhabitants of the planet had not had any manner of ki control for more than a few decades, but their numbers alone should have overwhelmed the young Saiya-jin in close quarters. Yet still Bardock had managed to not only survive, but to make his mark already by killing an attendant at the docking bay, all of which made Zorn sick to his stomach.

"Stop thinking about the brat, this is an important audience and if you screw it up I won't promise I can get you another one," Raditz snorted, "The king is very impatient and hates it if his subjects seem distracted."

"I can't help it, the brat shouldn't even BE here!" Zorn snarled, "None of us expected to ever see him again and yet there he is, just as cocky and arrogant as any other southern piece of trash!"

"Your mother is from the southern tribes boy, meaning you may take after my eastern cousin's, but you are part southern as well," Raditz scoffed, "Besides, your brother will very soon be out of our lives for good."

""Going to do it yourself or hire someone?" Zorn chuckled, "Mother wouldn't be pleased; she seems attached to the brat."

"And I to her, so unfortunately I can't kill him, but the head of the Academy will be here tonight, a man named Kale," the general smirked, "I'm going to see if I can't...persuade him to take your brother off of our hands."

"But only the strongest warriors survive at the Academy," Zorn mused, lowering his brows, "I barely survived their training myself!"

"Exactly, and he is far weaker than you, my son," Raditz chuckled, looking out the window, "With any luck, the next time we see your brother will be in a grave."

"Perfect," Zorn laughed, watching as the palace came into view, "Just perfect."

"Indeed it is, my son," Raditz nodded, "Indeed it is..."

_**Power Level Update**_

Raditz: 7,000

Zorn: 4,650

Kinoko: 4,200

Bardock: 285

_**Author's Notes:** As you can tell by that last little conversation, the general and Bardock's older brother don't really care for him very much, even wishing him dead to prevent the 'disgrace' his presence will bring. The boy's mother, on the other hand, is encouraging him to not be like the rest of his race and more like his ancestors, including telling him that he could be as powerful as most elites. We all know who clearly influences him the most in the later years of his life, but for now it will be a toss-up between the teachings of his culture and his mother._

_The next chapter will feature an unexpected surprise for Bardock as he begins training with his mother, coming in the form of a very large elite who's there on his father's orders to take him away. Who is the elite, and why is he after Bardock just after he returned to his home? Stay tuned to find out!_


	4. Surprises

"_A Father's Story"_

_Chapter 2- "Surprises"_

_By- Tiny_

"Your doing it wrong again Bardock!" Kinoko snapped, her hair prickling, "I have told you a million times, spin on your right heel and throw the attack with your left hand, not vice-versa!"

Bardock was sweating heavily even though it was only the rise of the first of Vegetasei's twin suns, but he had already been out in the torturous sun for close to three hours already. His mother had kicked him out of the bed early, his father and brother already gone into the city on some business, and given him five minutes to get himself ready for training. She was a grueling teacher, far more so than one would think by taking a look at her near dainty figure, but the young warrior was quickly learning how she had risen in the ranks over the years.

She was trying to teach him how to spin on his heels when throwing an energy attack, increasing the effect the blast would have on his opponents, but so far had only managed to teach him how to effectively blow up wandering animals. Kinoko was confident that he would get it eventually, but her patience was wearing thin with the boy as he continually screwed up. He had mastered her technique and defensive maneuvers in less than an hour, but learning her ki attacks and techniques were an entirely different matter all together.

The small fighter was about to spin and give the attack another try, his body slick with sweat already, but stopped when his father and brother arrived back at the house with a visitor in tow. Kinoko looked stunned to see the visitor as the Saiya-jin men walked over to her, Raditz and her screaming for a minute at each other while Zorn chuckled at his little brother. Bardock wasn't sure what was going on at the time, but noticed that the newcomer was studying him intently, as though trying to get a read on the small boy while his family argued.

"You are NOT going to send him away again, he just got back!" Kinoko snapped, waving a finger in her mate's face, "I am finally making some progress with the boy and you...you...DAMN YOU!"

"Women have no say in the affairs of a family, you know this, and no matter how you protest the result will be the same," Raditz snorted, "The boy is leaving and that is final!"

"What do you mean leaving?" Bardock snarled, his hair bristling, "I don't intend to go anywhere!"

"Too bad brat, because you are," Raditz smirked, "This man here is known as Kale, headmaster of the Saiya-jin training facility known simply as The Academy. He will be taking you there to be trained as a Saiya-jin in the hopes that it will give your meaningless life some worth."

"MY LIFE IS NOT MEANINGLESS, AND I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE YOU BASTARD!" Bardock snapped, his aura swelling, "YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

Raditz was so taken aback by his son's sudden swell in anger that he didn't react at first when the young Saiya-jin punched him in the ribs, actually causing him to double over in pain from the force. The boy looked like he was about to swing another blow at his father, but was stopped by the newcomer as he grabbed the small boy by the back of his neck and gripped tightly. Raditz looked about ready to blast his youngest into the next life, but didn't do so as Kale raised a warning hand in his face, a ki blast ready to go off if the general tried anything.

Kinoko looked on the verge of tears as her youngest son was rendered unconscious with a quick discharge of Kale's ki, the young boy's body going limp and being tossed over the headmaster's shoulder. Zorn's expression was indifferent where his brother was concerned as he headed back to the city, his first mission as captain of his own crew heading out that evening. As for Raditz, murder burned in his eyes as he looked at his son's limp form, his blood boiling with rage as Kale turned and prepared to take off, his eyes hard and cold.

"Do not worry about the boy, he will return a man," Kale said without a hint of emotion in his voice, "That...or he won't return at all..."

And before Kinoko could protest or try to take her son back forcefully, Kale was gone in a blaze of white light, taking her son to the place that would, eventually, make him the man he would be the rest of his life...

Bardock awoke on a cold, hard surface with moisture all around his body that he presumed was from leaky plumbing or something of the like, his vision swimming as he rose to his feet. There were other people in the room , most appearing to be around his age or a little younger, simply staring at him as his vision came back to him and he leveled his height off. The other three in the room with him were mere children, the oldest no more than seven zurals, and the youngest no less than five zurals if he was a day, though he was also the tallest.

The youngest boy was easily a head and shoulders taller than Bardock, his hair a spiky mohawk that stuck out in several different directions at once, his eyes alert and twitchy as he noticed Bardock looking at him. He was clad in a pair of red, form fitting pants with black and red armor over top of that, his boots and gloves matching the dark outfit perfectly. His tail was not secure, twitching behind him the way it always did when a Saiya-jin got nervous, only his was exposed and a perfect way for an enemy to cripple him should he get into a fight.

The second oldest, besides Bardock, was a girl with short cropped brown hair and one of the most hardened expressions the small boy had seen since his arrival on the planet of his birth. She was wearing a pink body suite that left her arms and legs exposed, her armor black and gold, with her silky brown tail wrapped tightly around the slender hips that were developing as she hit puberty. Were Bardock a zural older or more, he may have found her attractive and desirable, but at his current age he just thought she was odd looking and uneven.

The last, and oldest, of the bunch was a small boy, about Bardock's height, with short, dark brown hair that he tied back in a ponytail that perfectly accented his well-tanned skin. He was wearing a black bodysuit with dark blue on light blue armor over top of it, his rather large muscles stretching the material out so much that Bardock figured he would need a new set of armor soon. The boy was, after all, hitting puberty and would be starting to grow very fast soon, so replacement equipment was going to be something his roommate would need a lot of.

The Saiya-jin boy was about to introduce himself to his roommates when the door swung open and the headmaster stormed in, still clad in the regal armor befitting his class, the higher elites. The armor he wore was pristine white with golden shoulder pads, the bodysuit a brilliant navy blue and a matching cape attached to the shoulder pads streaming down to the back of his knees. His hair swept back on his head almost in the royal style, save the large bangs that hung down in his face, that and the fact that the hair that hung over those dark eyes was the fiery red of western tribes.

"So, the new arrival has woken up at last," Kale smirked, "Welcome to The Academy Bardock, you will be spending the rest of your days until adulthood in this facility...that or just the rest of your days here. The others in your class will become like your family, you will rely on each other's support and companionship if you are to even survive to see your children go on their first missions."

"Comforting thought, that we could all die in this place," the kid with the mohawk snarled, his tail bristling, "Never see another day..."

The boy didn't get to go any further with his talking as Kale flashed behind him and grabbed him by the tail, sending the boy instantly to the ground in a fit of pain and agony that all of them had felt at one point. Bardock and the other two in the room sprang into offensive stances immediately, ready to pounce if the instructor came within range of their own tails. This brought a softer, more fatherly smile to the headmaster's face as he let the other boy go, the mohawk-haired kid panting heavily, and walked into the center of the four.

"I think the four of you will do well here, you have already proven that you will jump to each other's defense when one is attacked," Kale chuckled, ruffling the children's hair, "I'm not going to go easy on you because you are low levels, so don't expect anyone else to or your going to end up like so many others in this hellhole; dead and never getting to see how a Saiya-jin really lives."

"Now, to introduce the rest of you to Bardock here, the low-born son of great, insufferable General Raditz," Kale continued, "The kid with the mohawk is Cumber and that girl over there is his big sister, Celipa; they were sent here for the same reason as you, low birth powers in high ranking families. The other boy there is Toma, born into a family of second-class Saiya-jin with a third-class power level, thus sent here to die like the rest of you."

"And do you think that is what's going to happen to us?" Bardock asked haughtily, his eyes narrow, "That the four of us are just going to die like some kind of common scum?"

"I hope not, because the four of you have already formed a unity even though you have just met, and that is how our squads survive, by sticking together," Kale shook his head, "The four of you need to get into your training armor, you'll find it located in the lockers next to your bunks. When your ready, come to the training area to meet the rest of the students...and try to stay out of trouble."

"We're low-class fighters with nothing to lose and everything to gain," Toma chuckled, opening his locker, "Does he really think we're going to stay out of trouble in this place?"

"I don't know," Bardock shrugged, opening his own locker up, "But I have a feeling it's going to be fun finding out..."

_**Updated Power Levels**_

Kale: 6,275

Bardock: 450

Toma: 400

Celipa: 380

Cumber: 378

_**Author's Notes:** If your wondering how Bardock's power went up so much so soon, it's because the training that his mother put him through taught him how to better channel his power and thus made him stronger. As for Raditz backing down from Kale, even though he was stronger than the headmaster, it would be because Kale is favored by the king and thus people fear him despite his strength. You'll see more and more of this throughout the story, but for now let's leave it at that._

_The next chapter will feature the four roommates heading to their first training area meeting, where new faces await them and they meet for the first time their young combat trainer, an up-and-coming lieutenant named Nappa. He will be sure to put our four friends through hell and back again, but at least they know that they will become stronger than most others in their class. To see what else happens, you'll have to stay tuned and wait to see..._


	5. Training Day

"_A Father's Story"  
Chapter 4- "Training Day"_

_By- Tiny_

The mess hall within the Academy was massive, filled to the brim with what had to be thousands of young Saiya-jin fresh off of their first away mission, most of the cadets low-level soldiers. Most of these low-ranked warriors kept to themselves, tending to stick together rather than face the harassment of the higher ranked cadets who would undoubtedly use their status to intimidate and bully. Bardock didn't take to kindly to such harassment, as he was the son of the Saiya-jin military's supreme field general, but refused to brag about it, as it would sink him to their level.

It was easy to distinguish the ranks here at the Academy, as each different rank was assigned a specific color bodysuit, with the most prestigious, those for elites, being a navy blue with white and gold armor. The second-class soldiers, known as 'scouts', were clad in red bodysuits with black and red armor; the last ranking being that of low levels, who wore simple black bodysuits with white on white armor. This made the low-class soldiers stick out like sore thumbs amongst their prestigious counterparts, and thus the target of many sneak attacks.

Bardock and his newfound friends were on their way into the mess hall when a sudden shriek pierced the air, causing the bed-headed Saiya-jin to turn his head back and spot the source. There was a young girl there, wearing the garb of a second-class cadet, her spiky hair hanging down in thick locks to her shoulders, her teeth clenched in a feral nature that was common amongst their race. The reason for this was that her tail was being clenched tightly by an outside source, that being a rather large male, easily 8 to 9 zurals in age, old for a cadet.

The male was easily twice the size of any other cadet inside the Academy, standing a good 6 to 7 foot tall, his body a mass of large muscles with short and spiky hair that barely covered up his head. By all accounts, he was a quite ugly Saiya-jin and made Bardock's teammate, Celipa, burst out laughing just from looking at him, though Bardock himself felt something different. It was almost like a boiling of his blood at the sight of the younger girl being tormented by this large fighter, one that was hideously ugly and wearing the navy blue of an elite.

"HEY, UGLY!" Bardock snapped, silencing the entire mess hall, "What the hell do you think your doing to that girl?"

"Stay out of this, trash, or I'll be forced to deal with you too," the elite scoffed, his eyes narrowing, "This wench is stupid and refuses to cooperate with me."

"She's stupid?" Bardock laughed, sounding like a maniac, "Big words for someone your age, pal. What are you, a first year?"

"Why you little...FUCK!" the large elite roared, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he let the girl go for a split second, "I should pound your low-level ass to mush right here and now!"

"Like to see you try, jackass," Bardock stuck his tongue out, chuckling, "I was trained by the best, you wouldn't have a prayer."

The other elites, along with some of the scouts in the room began to chant and scream 'kick his ass, Perejil', so Bardock assumed that to be the other fighter's name as he fell into stance. The large Saiya-jin did the same and soon the room cleared a patch for the ensuing battle to take place in, the only cheers for the lower-ranked Saiya-jin being from his other teammates. Bardock tried to ignore this as the large Saiya-jin moved, incredibly slowly for an elite, though the punch that followed was powerful enough to crush the smaller Saiya-jin's ribcage.

That is, it would be that powerful if not for Bardock ducking under the blow and retaliating with a powerful kick to his opponents left cheek, sending the elite spiraling into a nearby wall. The room let out a collective gasp of surprise as they watched Perejil pull himself up out of the rubble, his forehead having sustained a large gash that was bleeding profusely into his left eye. He looked absolutely furious, his large face contorted with rage as his skin turn a brilliant shade of red, both out of embarrassment at having been struck by a low-level and anger at being caught by a simple trick.

The younger Saiya-jin ducked down as though to prepare for another assault on the large warrior, which seemed inevitable, but was stopped as a powerful...presence entered the room. It shook Bardock to his very core as the young Saiya-jin seemed to feel it in the back of his mind, that smothering force, so powerful that it rendered the formerly furious Perejil to a cowering chicken against the wall. Bardock himself was not so crippled as he turned around, just in time to have a large fist slam against his face and send him into a table.

The fist belonged to the same Saiya-jin who had taken Bardock from his mother the previous day, a powerful ex-general that was known as Kale, one who was said to have once been part of the former king's strike force. He must have been at the very least quite powerful, as his life force seemed to visibly manifest itself around him as a greenish aura of raw energy. This may have been Bardock's own hallucination though, as he was left quite dizzy from the blow, but he didn't have time to react as the headmaster reached down and picked both himself and Perejil up from the ground.

"I will not tolerate such behavior again while I run this institution," Kale spoke matter-of-factly, "If I catch you two at it again, I will not hesitate to kill the both of you and send my 'condolences' to your families. And Perejil?"

"Yes, headmaster Kale?"

"If you attack my niece again, for any reason, death will look like a pleasant release compared to what awaits you," Kale smirked, dropping both boys, "Get the picture?"

"YES SIR!"

"Good to hear, and now to business!" Kale raised his voice for all to hear, "You are all here today for a single reason, the start of you training to become soldiers in the Saiya-jin military system. You have already been split into teams based on your birth rank and these will remain your teams during your stay here; in time, your teammates will come to be like a surrogate family, each member a vital component of the whole."

"Today, you will all be divided into cells that are supervised by a more experienced officer here at the Academy," Kale continued, "This officer will be conducting all of your training in any manner they deem fit, as well as instructing you thoroughly in our race's culture, history, art, and mathematics. You may not see these as essential knowledge for a warrior and trust me, they aren't, but they are essential knowledge for a SAIYA-JIN, and will be taught as such. After breakfast, you are all to report to your respective dormitories, where your instructors will be awaiting. I know that you will all try your best here, and I wish you all luck...your going to need it."

Bardock did not get much of a meal after his fight in the mess hall, having been sent to the headmaster's office for a 'discussion', which consisted of him getting beaten around for a few minutes. By the time he got back to the mess hall, the girl he had been defending was already gone and it was almost time to head towards his dorm, so he only had time to scarf down a few rolls. His stomach was absolutely rolling with hunger pangs as he arrived with the rest of his team at their dorm, only to find the door open already, waiting for them to enter.

There was a large man sitting in the center of the room, a shaggy head of hair on the top of his scalp, so long that it hung down over his eyes and had to be tied into a ponytail to keep from going crazy down his back. He also had a thick mustache that came down over the side of his lips like handlebars, a nicely polished blue scouter over his left eye as he rose to his feet. The man was wearing navy blue bodysuit pants, without the upper body coverings, with his upper torso covered by a black and gold armor that bore the crescent moon on it's left breast.

"Kale told me I was getting a group of punks, looks like he didn't lie," the large man sighed, rising to his feet, "Allow me to introduce myself; I am first-lieutenant Nappa of the Western Tribes and son of General Col. I was assigned to you wet-noses because the headmaster believes that your going to be a bunch of no-good ruffians, and end up dead in the first round of exams in a quarter zural."

"Some confidence the old man has in us," Toma grumbled, folding his arms, "It's not like low-levels ever last long here anyways."

"Let me tell ya kid, many low-levels haven't EVER made it out of here, yet there are always exceptions," Nappa chuckled, kneeling down to Toma's level, "Look at your headmaster Kale; he started as a low-level soldier, just like you. Yet he never gave up and was eventually noticed by the king himself, gaining a promotion to elite and being a part of the king's personal guard for many years."

"Headmaster Kale used to be just like us, a third-class?" Cumber gaped, in awe at the prospect, "So, in theory, we could do the same?"

"We'll see kid, but to get there will require a lot of work and dedication, which begins now," Nappa smirked, pulling out a blackboard, "Now, get your texts from underneath your cots. We are going to begin your lessons with a lecture on quadratic functions and...don't give me that look Celipa, this is BASIC math!"

The four Saiya-jin just continued to roll their eyes and slump off, earning swift reprimands and blows from their instructor, forcing them to pay attention to the shaggy-haired man as he lectured them. It was possibly the worst thing to put the starving Bardock through, as his only thoughts were of food and the talk of increasing and decreasing amounts only made him picture clearing a buffet. It was a hard lesson to have to endure, and all four warriors knew that it was only going to get harder as time went on and they began to face more challenges.

It was a challenge that, in his heart, Bardock vowed to overcome, no matter the cost...

_**Author's Notes:**__ Wow, it has been so long since I updated this story that I don't think anyone will remember it, but let's hope that they do anyway. Just to clear up one thing right now, in case anyone is confused, a zural is the equivalent of two Earth years, therefore a quarter zural equates to 6 months. Also, I hope you like the take on a young Nappa, cause I've been planning his appearance for quite some time now and wanted him to look good._

_The next chapter will skip ahead a few months to the teams first outside mission, a war-games scenario with a rival team, pitting the low-level team against an elite team, that led by Perejil. This will be the first real test of Nappa's teachings on the four young Saiya-jin, but the question is will they succeed and win the war games? Stay tuned to find out..._


	6. War Games: Part 1

"_A Father's Story"_

_Chapter 5- "War Games: Part 1"_

_By- Tiny_

It had been three months since the first day that Nappa's squad had begun their lessons under his tutelage, three months of both tedious book work and horrendous training in the field. Despite how much lower his rank was compared to other instructors at the academy, Nappa was truly powerful and amazingly aggressive, not giving his students one foot to stand on in battle. It was because of his teaching that they were standing before the headmaster on this day, still alive despite the harsher treatment they received and constant attacks from rival groups.

The small band of four were to participate in a war games scenario, common after three months had passed as a test of how far the cadets had come and how much farther they had to go. Their sensei had recommended them for what was considered a great honor among the lower ranks, as usually low-level platoons were not permitted to take part in the war games until their first year ended. To even be suggested for competition was an honor, but for the headmaster to approve was a privilege, and so the four were trying to be as well prepared as possible.

The hall where the competitors were assembled was very small and, therefore, packed with cadets waiting for the games to get underway, including the first-class squad that Bardock had clashed with on their first day. Perejil didn't look as though he had gotten any smarter during the course of his training, but clearly he gotten stronger as evidenced by the scars on his body. Bardock's own body remained unscarred visibly, all of his wounds usually having been inflicted on his chest and back, so he knew that while this showed that his enemy had been training, it did not indicate strength.

"Today is a wondrous day in the life of any warrior, where the teams will be engaged in the war games to test their improved combat skills," Kale's voice echoed across the auditorium, "There are fewer teams than in years past, with only eight four man squads surviving long enough to take part in this event. You should all be proud of your accomplishments and your sensei's should be proud of the work they've done, but this will be the first test of just what you've learned. Captain!"

"Yes sir, thank you, sir!" a burly Saiya-jin with dark skin and swept back locks of hair saluted, rising to the podium, "My name is Captain Totepo of Headmaster Kale's personal squadron and I will be the proctor for this examination. I and several others will be overseeing the exam to make sure that nobody gets any outside help, be it in the form of food, instruction, or other means. The Saiya-jin code is survival of the fittest, and therefore killing your opponents is not only allowed, it is encouraged! Anyone not strong enough to survive an attack is not strong enough to live and call himself a warrior!"

"Thank you Captain, that will be all," Kale chuckled, waving Totepo back to his seat on the podium, "You are all to be dropped at various points throughout the forest located to the southwest of our facility. Your goal is to make it back to the Academy within five days; anyone who does not meet this goal at all is dead and anyone who meets it late...will be dead. You are all to report now to your assigned drop ships. Dismissed!"

Bardock and his team arrived at the drop ship a few moments later, having already packed their belongings some time earlier that morning as per Nappa's instructions, meaning they would be getting something of a head start. Their sensei was waiting for them as they came down the runway, already clad in the standard armor of their class with the symbol of their unit, C-12, on the chest. Charlie units were the lowest rank, though the most common unit rank in the Academy, and Bardock knew for a fact that his unit was the only Charlie unit in the war games.

Nappa was dressed in a new uniform, something that he had gotten about a month ago after a trip to the palace to kneel before the new king, now having obtained the rank of captain and new authority with it. He had even been given the opportunity to lead his own planet-clearing squad, but had instead chosen to remain at the Academy as one of Kale's instructors. Though he would never admit as much to his students, Nappa had done this because in the back of his mind he knew how much these four youths meant to him, almost like the children he never had.

It was the large Saiya-jin officer who would be escorting the youths to their landing zone, dropping them into the unforgiving wilderness of what was appropriately named "Mundo de los Muertos". Many Academy students had gone to that very same zone throughout the years and, while some had returned to face the next step, many more had never emerged from those woods. The test was simply survival, staying alive and in one piece long enough to reach the 'safety' of the Academy walls, but in the Saiya-jin forests, survival wasn't that easy.

The forest was filled with animals that were considered extremely dangerous, even to the super powered Saiya-jin, as they too were used to the intense gravity on the planet and had adapted as a result. Some of the larger predators were even said to have slaughtered multiple Saiya-jin males who wandered too deep into the woods, but those were only rumors. Still, the prospect of running into such a creature was frightening even to the battle hardened students aboard Nappa's drop ship as the forest loomed into view ahead, it's dark depths seeming to call out for their blood.

"The landing zone is towards the middle of the forest, where it gets darkest during the daylight," Nappa told his students, "I can't tell you any more than that, just be careful and come back in one piece. I haven't finished punishing you kids yet."

_"What a comforting thought,"_ Bardock gulped, "Okay, everyone ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Celipa sighed, heaving on her equipment, "How about the rest of you bums?"

"Itching for danger, as always," Toma chuckled, patting Cumber on the back as the smaller Saiya-jin fiddled with his pack, "Aren't we, old buddy?"

"If you say so, Toma," Cumber muttered, rubbing his eyes, "I just hope we get out of this place alive."

"You'll be fine, just keep your wits about you," Nappa chuckled, pulling the craft to a hover over a section of the forest, "Here we are kids, now get the fuck out. I hope to see you again in five days."

Bardock and his team simply nodded at their sensei before jumping down out of the craft, using their energy to slow their descent rather than fly, as flying would spike their energy and give away their location. After all, this was a war game as well as a survival test, so giving away your location so early in the game to enemy units was not just stupid, it was suicide. As such, they moved down slowly before coming to a rolling halt on the dark soil of the forest floor, realizing that Nappa was right when he warned them about the inside of the forest.

When they had left the Academy's walls it had been midday, the suns still high in the sky and bearing down brightly, but underneath the canopy of trees was nearly pitch black and eerily quiet. Having studied the history of the forest intently while under Nappa's natural history lessons, which Celipa called a waste of time, Bardock knew that the forest's larger predators were still sleeping now. However, the suns would both set within the next eight hours and then they would be out, so the team needed to find shelter within that time and move closer to the complex.

"I think we should find shelter and wait until tomorrow to move guys," Toma spoke up, "That way we'll be better rested than the other teams and be able to move longer distances during the daytime."

"Bad idea, we're right in the center of the forest," Cumber shook his head, cracking his neck, "This is most likely a breeding ground for large predators and other animals we don't wanna cross. We should probably head towards the rocks we saw on the way in."

"Bullshit, you don't know nothing Cumber," Toma growled, spitting towards the smaller boy, "This is a perfect place to make camp!"

"Don't know nothing is a double negative, meaning that he does know something, and he's right, Toma," Bardock chuckled, rising from the ground, "There's tracks all over the ground through this clearing that lead off deeper into the woods, where the apex predators are said to live at. Chances are good that this is a game trail and if that's the case, we'd be safer on the rocks."

"Stop acting so high and mighty Bardock, you aren't the boss here, that privilege goes to the best fighter; me!" Toma snarled, poking the shorter Saiya-jin in his ribs, "Nappa-sensei says I'm the most ferocious!"

"He also says Bardock is the smartest and most tactical minded," Celipa coughed, trying to look innocent, "Hence why he always beats you during spars."

"Oh, shut up!" Toma snapped, visibly livid, "Bardock and Cumber are pansies who play it safe! A Saiya-jin who runs from danger is no more than trash!"

"Don't spout philosophy Toma, Saiya-jin are warriors, and a warrior who doesn't strategize doesn't live very long," Bardock snapped, decking the larger boy in his gut, "I say we're heading to the rocks, which are about six hours away. We'll make camp there and decide where to go from there, understood?"

"Yeah...I think...so," Toma heaved, wiping the blood from his lip, "You didn't...have to hit...so hard."

"Your thickheaded, it's the best way to get through," Bardock smirked, situating the scouter he had unpacked, "Now lets get a move on, before the other teams come looking to eliminate the competition."

Cumber and Celipa didn't even argue with Bardock as they grabbed their own things and headed down the slope they had been dropped on, moving in the direction of a large rock formation further away. Toma soon followed, once he got his wind back, grumbling about Bardock being a show-off and a know-it-all, but having been put back into his place. Everyone knew that Bardock was, unofficially, the leader of their group and, while Toma may have fought more fiercely, the bed-headed Saiya-jin was much stronger and more cunning.

Little did they realize that they had landed right in the middle of something much worse than a game trail, as a hulking figure rumbled out of the brush behind them, it's low growls rumbling deep in it's throat. It was a larger animal that greatly resembled what on a planet far away was called a 'bull', it's fur a jet black color with long, curved horns mounted just over it's ears. The difference was that it walked on two legs, the front one's being armed with three long claws each, and it's tail having what appeared to be a scythe-like blade that swished as though on a whip.

That and the fact that this 'bull' had very long, sharp teeth that were currently covered in drool as it moved further out of the forest, sniffing the air and catching the four Saiya-jin's scent. The animal had just fed the night before on another large prey animal that had been foolish enough to come this way, but now it had found some fresher and more vulnerable prey. It wasn't often that Saiya-jin came through this part of the forest, and this animal had seen his fair share of them, as evident by the deep scars that riddled it's hide, but to him a Saiya-jin wasn't a warrior, it was only one thing.

Meat.

_**Author's Notes:**__ Okay, the war games are under way and Bardock has already asserted his position as leader early on, though the only one who questions that is Toma, and he will continue to do so as the story rolls on. I hope you all liked how intelligent I made Bardock, as he is often falsely identified in the American renditions of the series as a scientist, but he does seem quite smart in the Bardock Special. As for his teammates, you are going to see more of them separately during the war games, but that is for a later chapter._

_The next chapter will start up with Bardock's team getting into a confrontation early on with another team, a team of elites, only to have the large predator arrive and being a bloodbath! Foolishly Toma tries to stop it only to find himself on the menu, and it's up to Bardock and crew to save his hide! Meanwhile, Bardock's self-declared rival, Perejil, makes plans to eliminate the bed-head Saiya-jin personally. All this and more in the next installment of A Father's Story!_


	7. War Games: Part 2

"_A Father's Story"_

_Chapter 6- "War Games: Part II"_

_By- Tiny_

The forest was growing darker as the young group of low-level Saiya-jin maneuvered their way through the forest in a zigzag formation, so as to throw off any pursuing teams. It was a common enough tactic used among the students and it probably wouldn't throw them, but thanks to Cumber's ingenuity and quick-thinking they had made it less traceable. Each time they passed a large cluster of trees, one of them would fire several small energy blasts into the foliage to snap twigs and leave imprints in the bark of the trees.

In doing this it made the four Saiya-jin seem like they were in more than one place all at once, throwing any enemy units off their trail and, hopefully, diverting the attention of any predators. Even Bardock, who was considered to be a tactical genius amongst low-levels, would never have thought of such a strategy and was quite glad they had Cumber on their side during this. He knew his other two teammates felt the same, though Toma was too stubborn to admit as such and Celipa would never let on that she thought of her brother as anything but a pain in the ass.

Night was closing in on the forest quickly now, the already heavily shadowed forest floor growing darker still as the suns set on the horizon, the smell of moist dew rising from the leaves. The sound of the various fauna rising in the deeper woods was enough to put some considerable speed in the four youth's legs, the rocky outcroppings Bardock had mentioned now within view. They would be safe from the larger predators if they could manage to get down into the natural caves, assuming they didn't light any fires and refrained from speaking too loudly.

"Once we make camp, it's strictly cold rations, no fires and no energy blasts are to be used for heat," Bardock instructed through his scouter, "Any fires will lure the predators to our location and any sudden spike in our energy will make us a juicy target for rival teams."

_"Then might I suggest strict radio silence also?" _Celipa chimed in, _"If anyone taps into our frequency, then that too would give away our location to the enemy."_

_"Celipa's right, we should keep ourselves scarce,"_ Toma agreed, firing off a small blast into the trees, _"Once we're inside the rocks, we won't have any used for these scouters anyway."_

_"I have to concur, we won't need them inside the caves,"_ Cumber almost yawned, setting his foot on the rocks first, _"So hurry it up, before we all end up..."_

Bardock didn't get the rest of his teammate's reply as an explosion rocked the area just as they closed in on the rocks, Cumber's limp form flying out into the dirt with a resounding thud. He was bleeding out just over his left eyebrow, a few scrapes having appeared from his impact around his elbows and knees, but he was still alive and that counted for something. Celipa was the first to his side, tending to his wounds immediately as the group's only medical semi-expert, and also concerned for her 'baby' brother's well-being despite what she had been taught by Nappa.

Bardock and Toma arrived shortly thereafter to find another group of Saiya-jin standing atop the rocks, wearing the standard blue uniforms of the elite units with the division A-3 on their chests. Bardock didn't recognize the Saiya-jin themselves, just another group of elite brats who thought they ruled the roost, and four bums who figured on routing out the weaklings first. Cumber was the lead strategist of the team and, had they gotten the jump on the elites, Bardock thought they might have stood a chance, but things were different now.

"Looks like we found the wimps early enough, good thing they decided to keep in contact with the scouters," said a tall Saiya-jin with slicked back, dark brown hair, "What do you think of this lot, Latta?"

"They don't look tough enough to even be in the Academy, much less the war games," a female Saiya-jin, with unusual blue hair, chuckled, "The small boy there was completely off his guard, the girl is pitiful, and the other two seem completely unsure what to do now. We're wasting out time here Oynen, let's just kill them and move on."

"Nah, they may be of use to us yet...they were trained by Nappa, the son of the former Commander-in-Chief, they must know something of tracking," Oynen, the apparent leader, mused, "Korn, Daikon, kill the brat with the mohawk and the girl, but detain the other two! We'll use them to find our way back."

The other two members of the group, a shorter boy with shaggy black hair, the one known as Daikon, and a medium-height kid with black hair so short it seemed bald, simply nodded and rushed towards Bardock and Toma. The two fell into a defensive stance on instinct, not having expected this to happen but not willing to go down easy, but never got the chance to. The two other Saiya-jin boys were cleaved in half within moments by something that moved so fast that nobody had seen it coming, a spray of white-hot blood splashing all over Bardock and his crew.

A scream sounded in the forest, though Bardock couldn't tell whether it came from his own teammates, the remaining elites, or himself, but at the moment he didn't care as he leapt into action. Swiveling around to see what had so cleanly sliced two Saiya-jin boy's in half, Bardock and Toma both came face to snout with what had to be the most horrendous-looking, horn-covered creature in their history. Cumber was the expert on these kind of creatures so the two older boys didn't recognize it, all they knew was that it was big, ugly, and dangerous.

The two elites began to run, wanting to put as much distance between the animal and themselves as possible, but it did little good as the creature spotted them and cut off their escape, following with their heads. More dark blood soaked the ground and the rocks as Celipa finished hiding her injured brother in the rocks, not wanting to risk further injury as they prepared to face this animal. After all, it was just that, an animal, and while it may have freakishly brutish strength the three Saiya-jin had decent brain power and with any luck would be able to outsmart it.

"Toma, you and Celipa need to find a way to distract it so we can cut off it's tail where that damn scythe-thing is," Bardock instructed, keeping his voice low, "Once it's out of commission, we should be able to take it down pretty easy."

"Nice plan, but one problem," Toma gulped, "What are you gonna do while we play rip-the-tail off the freak show?"

"I'm gonna stay in front of him and create a diversion," Bardock smirked, "With any luck, even if he gets me, you two will take it out and get Cumber back to the Academy. Now, let's move!"

The two teammates didn't need to be told twice as Bardock began to shout at the animal and fire small energy bursts at it, none of them doing much more than graze the skin and irritate it. The animal lunged for Bardock first, not paying any attention to the other two fighters as they moved around behind him, aiming two relatively powerful attacks at the creature's tail. The animal didn't notice as the attacks were launched, but did once they hit it's backside, tearing deep into the flesh but not quite deep enough to sever the tail from it's body.

A roar of pain erupted from the animal as it swung it's massive claws towards Toma and Celipa, blinded with rage from the bleeding wound they had inflicted upon it's lower torso. Celipa was able to avoid the attack due mainly to her superior speed but Toma was a different story, missing the brunt of the attack by inches but still catching one of the claws in his thigh. His face froze with shock before his scream pierced the air as the claw ripped out of his flesh, red blood spewing like a geyser from the wound as he lost his altitude and hit the ground.

Bardock was in shock at how effortlessly the animal had broken Toma's defenses and enraged at how easily his team was being taken out, ignoring his own plan immediately to try and help Toma. This proved to be a mistake, as the animal once again turned it's sights on the bed-head Saiya-jin and swing it's massive claws around and plunged it into Bardock's stomach. Pain ripped through the young warrior's body slowly at first but all of a sudden more quickly when the claw came out, dropping Bardock down to the ground like a limp noodle.

He could faintly hear Celipa screaming both his and Toma's name but it sounded so far away, like something from a dream, his mind swimming with images of his youth growing up in isolation far away from here. There had been creatures there too, creatures that the locals had claimed were indestructible, creatures that Bardock had killed with virtually no effort. It seemed like so long ago now as the life drained slowly out of Bardock as he looked around his surroundings, spotted Toma lying across the field with his femur sticking out of his leg as the beast came down on him once more.

The animal never managed to connect the strike, however, as at that moment something inside of Bardock snapped and, faster than anyone could see, he was in front of the creature holding it's claws back. Even more miraculous, the wound in his stomach was beginning to mend itself, the blood no longer flowing out and the sound of flesh and bone reconnecting causing Celipa to lurch. The young warrior was no longer the fragile prey item that the beast had tracked to this field, he was a dangerous and hostile force to be reckoned with.

Faster than most people could blink, the creature swung it's deadly tail at Bardock and his crew, missing by bare inched as a sharp edged ki blast severed the appendage from it's owner. Dark blood soaked the ground and landed in globs on his friends bodies as Bardock continued his assault on the creature, avoiding it's flailing claws and the horns on her body with relative ease. At this point, it was hard to tell who was more of a monster than the other, Celipa watching with a mixture of relief and horror as, in one final move, Bardock drove his knee into the animal's neck with a sickening snap.

The creature fell to the ground with earth-shaking force, it's body riddled with wounds and burns from where Bardock had attacked it, it's dark blood flowing all over the ground like a crimson river. The young Saiya-jin warrior was standing over the body like the dominating champion, his body covered with a mixture of both his and the animal's blood like some kind of macabre statue. The murderous look in his eyes had faded, now wide with shock at the sheer brutality of his actions as he headed over to where his teammates were gazing at him with fear.

"Celipa...I don't know what happened back there, I must've blacked out, but good job!" Bardock smiled, "Even without mine or Toma's help, you managed to beat that thing!"

"Ba...Bardock, YOU killed that animal," Celipa stammered, going to work at bandaging Toma's wounds, "Don't you remember?"

"I didn't kill it, I blacked out after it stabbed Toma," Bardock scratched his matted hair, "I remember charging it and it turning on me, but after that it's all a complete blank."

_"That surge in his energy, the way he tore the animal apart, he doesn't remember anything...how can that be?"_ Celipa mused, propping Toma on her shoulder, "It doesn't matter now Bardock, it's dead and we're still alive, that's what's important. Now help me here, Toma's too heavy to move on my own."

Bardock didn't say anything more, just nodded and helped the young girl move Toma over to the safety of the rocks with Cumber, all the while looking back at the mutilated remains of the large animal. They would probably eat it later he supposed, as it was one of their religious beliefs that nothing went to waste in nature, and Bardock was certain that they could use most of this animal's carcass for something. Still, he was wondering how the animal was taken down by Celipa without himself or Toma to help her, still unaware that it was he who had killed it.

"Bardock, you go lie down next to Cumber while I skin the animal and get the meat ready," Celipa instructed, pulling a small blade from her pack, "I'll wake you when I'm ready."

"You sure you don't need some protection?"

"I'll be fine Bardock, just get some rest," Celipa assured her teammate, jumping from the rocks, _"And please, try to remember how you did this...we're going to need that strength as this test goes on..."_

Some distance away from where the low-class team was resting from their confrontation with one of their planet's deadliest animals, another team was beginning to formulate a plan of attack. They were four elites, sitting around a small fire inside a cave that they had carved into a rock face themselves for shelter, feasting on some kind of small prey item they tracked in the field. Their team leader was none other than the same boy Bardock had first scrapped with some time ago, Perejil, his dark eyes glistening as his scouter died back down.

"So, the weakling team has someone powerful on it after all," Perejil chuckled, ripping a hunk of meat off the bone, "Beet, what do you say we go and say hello?"

"Not advisable, it'll be dark in an hour tops and then we'd be sitting ducks to some of the large predators," a short Saiya-jin with unruly hair mused, "Besides, Rhubra and Paraguas are already asleep, so we'd be going up against superior numbers. That would be stupid."

"Fine then, what do you suggest Beet?"

"The suns will begin rising in another eight hours, so the large predators will be back in their burrows and we can move freely," Beet began, "I say, at that point, we head for the rocks their staying at and track their movements from there. Then, when we find them, take them out."

"Good plan, I like it," Perejil smirked, rising to his feet, "I like it a lot."

"I thought you might," Beet mused, stretching back on the ground, "Now get some sleep, _sir_. You're going to need it."

_"Get ready wimps, especially you Bardock,"_ Perejil snorted, rubbing his chest as one does an old wound, _"We strike at dawn..."_

_**Power Level Update**_

Mysterious Animal: 2,000

Bardock: 500

w/rage: 2,000+

Toma: 498

Celipa: 465

Cumber: 460

_**Author's Notes:**__ As you can see, just like his grandson after him, Bardock has no memory of the sudden bursts of energy that he displays, something I got the idea for after watching his fight in the Bardock Special with Frieza. Sorry it's taken so long to update, but my computer's been on the fritz lately but it's working okay now and let's hope that I can do some stuff quicker now. Anywho, read and review and I'll catch all you lovely folks next time._


End file.
